This application incorporates by reference Taiwanese application Serial No. 90125604, Filed Oct. 16, 2001.
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates in general to the assembly of the display portion and the body portion in a portable computer, and more particularly to a method for easily assembling a well-constructed portable computer.
2. Description of the Related Art
The computer has become one of the indispensable tools for modern people. A portable computer, such as a notebook computer (or called a lap-top computer), is much lighter and smaller than a desktop computer, and therefore is used increasingly as more and more people require mobility in performing work duties, surfing the Internet, and sending/receiving e-mails. Additionally, the falling price of the portable computer gradually wins the favor of the consumers. Because of the reasonable selling price and the portability, the portable computer has a great potential for replacing the bulky desktop computer.
Generally, the display portion of a portable computer is mounted on the top of a main body housing by the hinges. Please refer to FIG. 1, which shows a partial exploded perspective view of a conventional portable computer. The portable computer 100 includes a display portion 110 and a body portion 120. The display portion 110 includes a liquid crystal display (LCD) 112 and a display housing 114. The body portion 120 includes an upper case 122, a lower case 124 integrated with the upper case 122, and a keyboard 126 coupled to the upper case 122. Also, a main board 130 (partially shown in FIG. 1) is situated inside the body portion 120. A pair of hinge assemblies 116a and 116b is respectively provided at the bottom-left and bottom-right of the display portion 110.
Each of the hinge assemblies includes a first fastening portion (not show, embedded in the display portion 110 in this example), a second fastening portion 1161a, 1161b, and a pivot portion 1162a, 1162b for pivotably connecting the first fastening portion and the second fastening portion. Also, the support holes 128a, 128b and the threaded bolt holes 129a, 129b are formed in the body portion 120 at a predetermined depth. During assembling, the second fastening portions 1161a, 1161b are inserted into the support holes 128a, 128b, respectively. Then, the second fastening portions 1161a, 1161b are fixed to the body portion 120 by means of bolting, such as the bolts 1163a, 1163b respective through the threaded bolt holes 129a, 129b. Thereby, the display portion 110 can pivot between an open position and a closed position relative to the body portion 120 by the hinge assemblies 116a and 116b. Additionally, to transmit signals and supply with power, a cable 118 electrically couples the liquid crystal display (LCD) 112 to the main board 130.
However, there is a drawback in such assembling design for the conventional portable computer. An elongated region formed on the body portion 120, which is close to the keyboard 126, exposes part of the main board 130 and the hinge assemblies 116a, 116b. Typically, a couple of covering plates, made of the same material as the upper case, are required to cover this exposed region. In FIG. 1, the exposed region is covered by a middle cover 250 and two hinge covers 240a, 240b for hiding the cable 118, the main board 130, and the hinge assemblies 116a, 116b. FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the portable computer 100, which has been completely assembled.
According to the illustration above, because the hinge assemblies on the display portion are mounted on the top of the body portion, the partial area of the body portion has to be exposed for connecting with display portion (i.e. a couple of holes for bolting to the hinge assemblies). For the manufactures, mounting additional cover assemblies for hiding the exposed region is not only time-consuming but also raises the production cost. Moreover, it makes the upper case subject to undue stresses while the display portion is mounted on the top surface of the body portion. Consequently, as the display portion is being rotated, an extraordinary sound is easily produced and distortion may occur. The yield of product is also decreased.
It is therefore an object of the invention to provide an assembly of the liquid crystal display (LCD) and the body portion of the portable computer, in which the extraordinary noises resulting from the rotation of the LCD is greatly reduced and some covering components can be eliminated to make the assembly more easy.
According to the objective of the invention, the portable computer of the invention comprises a body portion, a display portion, a cable, and a hinge assembly. The body portion comprises a housing and a main board provided inside the housing. An insertion hole is formed on the rear wall of the housing, and a cable connection region is formed on the rear wall or bottom wall of the housing. A first connector is provided on the main board at a position corresponding to the cable connection region. One end of the cable is electrically connected to the display portion, and the other end of the cable is provided with a second connector corresponding to the first connector for electrically connecting to the body portion.
The hinge assembly, provided for pivotably connecting the display portion to the body portion, comprises a first fastening portion for attaching to the display portion, a second fastening portion for attaching to the body portion, and a pivot portion for pivotably connecting the first fastening portion with the second fastening portion. The second fastening portion further has a first support arm for horizontally inserting into an insertion hole formed on the rear side of the body portion.
Other objects, features, and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the following detailed description of the preferred but non-limiting embodiments. The following description is made with reference to the accompanying drawings.